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Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program: Northeast-Midwest States (Select Areas) - FY 2025

Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture
CFDA: 10.720
Federal FON: USDA-FS-2024-CWDG-NEMW
Office: U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 02/28/2025 (Application)
Solicitation Date: 11/21/2024
   
Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Cash/In-Kind
Actual Funds: Unspecified
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to assist at-risk local communities and Indian tribes with planning for and mitigating against the risk created by wildfire. The two primary project types that will be supported through this program are the development and revising of community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) and the implementation of projects described in a CWPP that is less than ten years old.

This program helps communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI) implement the following three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy:

  • Resilient landscapes: landscapes, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, are resilient to fire, insect, disease, invasive species, and climate change disturbances, in accordance with management objectives
  • Fire-adapted communities: human populations and infrastructure are as prepared as possible to receive, respond to, and recover from wildland fire
  • Safe, effective, and risk-based wildfire response: all jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, efficient, and risk-based wildfire management decisions

Projects must be conducted on lands with the following ownership types, as long as the project directly reduces wildfire risk to a community:

  • Private lands
  • Local government
  • Homeowner associations
  • State government
  • Tribal/Alaska Native corporation (ANC), including trust lands

Priority will be given to at-risk communities that are in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, and/or have been impacted by a severe disaster. The funding agency also encourages applications that show a clear benefit to underserved people and the communities where they reside or the forest areas that they value.

Optional webinars and office hours are scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for additional information.

Eligibility is limited to applicants located in the District of Columbia and the northeastern-midwestern states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are:

  • Units of local government representing communities located in an area with a risk of wildfires
  • Indian tribes
  • Nonprofit organizations, including homeowner associations that assist such communities
  • State forestry agencies
  • Alaska Native corporations (ANCs)

Applicants must be located in the District of Columbia and the northeastern-midwestern states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Indian tribes and ANCs may apply through either this program or the CWDG program specific to Indian tribes and ANCs, known in eCivis Grants Network as US17559.

Applications must identify the lead agency or organization that will have primary responsibility for coordinating project work and reporting. The lead agency may pass funds to other partners performing work as relevant.

Projects must be conducted on lands with the following ownership types, as long as the project directly reduces wildfire risk to a community:

  • Private lands
  • Local governments
  • Homeowner associations
  • State government
  • Tribal/ANC, including trust lands

Priority will be given to at-risk communities that are in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, and/or have been impacted by a severe disaster. The funding agency also encourages applications that show a clear benefit to underserved people and the communities where they reside or the forest areas that they value.

For separate projects in separate communities, a separate application must be submitted for each project so they can be reviewed and scored independently. For an application consisting of a single project that spans multiple communities, the project may be applied for and described within the same application and narrative form.

For-profit entities are not eligible to apply.

Previous award recipients include:

  • Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission (IL)
  • Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IN)
  • Central Pine Barrens Commission (NY)
  • St. Louis City (MN)
  • Town of Washington (WI)

Refer to the Award file for additional information on previous award recipients.

Eligible Applicants:
Local Government
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
State Government
Tribal Organizations/Institutions
Application Notes:

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on February 28, 2025.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the relevant state forestry agency and Forest Service cooperative fire specialist during application development to ensure the project aligns with the program's purpose and eligibility and to receive input on strengthening the application.

Applications must be submitted online at cwdg.forestrygrants.org.

Applications must include:

  • Proposal cooperator
  • Applicant information
  • Project information
  • Geographic information system (GIS) coordinates of project area
  • Brief project overview and purpose
  • Grant component type
  • At-risk community
  • Roofing code/ordinance
  • Grant waiver
  • Project description (7,500 characters max)
  • Applicant budget
  • Project budget explanation (5,000 characters max)
  • Accomplishments (7,500 characters max)
  • Collaboration (7,500 characters max)
  • Landscape impact (7,500 characters max)
  • Project sustainability (7,500 characters max)
  • Low-income community (3,000 characters max)
  • Impacted by a severe disaster (3,000 characters max)
  • Area of wildfire hazard potential (3,000 characters max)

The following are required in order to submit an application:

  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
  • SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.

Optional webinars will be held for this program as follows:

December 2, 2024
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Registration: us06web.zoom.us

December 4, 2024
12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET
Registration: us06web.zoom.us

December 6, 2024
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Registration: us06web.zoom.us

Any applicant in any region, area, or tribe may attend any webinar as they will have the same content; however, the December 4, 2024, webinar will be more focused on tribal applications. Webinar recordings will be made available online at www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants/cwdg.

In addition, optional office hours are scheduled for this program as follows:

December 18, 2024
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
URL: us06web.zoom.us
Meeting ID: 826 6617 5113

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Project description (10 points)
  • Project budget explanation (10 points)
  • Accomplishments (10 points)
  • Collaboration (10 points)
  • Landscape impacts (10 points)
  • Project sustainability (10 points)
  • Low-income community (10 points)
  • Impacted by a severe disaster (10 points)
  • Area of wildfire hazard potential (20 points)

Refer to the NOFA and Overview files for additional application information.

Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Cash/In-Kind
Actual Funds: Unspecified
Match Notes:

Match requirements will vary according to project type, as follows:

  • Development and revising of a community wildfire protection plan (CWPP): applicants must provide a 10 percent match via cash or in-kind contributions
  • Implementation of projects described in a CWPP that is less than ten years old: applicants must provide a 25 percent match via cash or in-kind contributions

Matching funds must be derived entirely from nonfederal sources, unless expressly authorized in law by the other federal program.

Communities meeting the definition of underserved, Indian tribes, Alaska Native corporations (ANCs), and Pacific Islands may request a waiver of the match requirements.

Funding Notes:

An unspecified amount of funding is available to support awards through this program. Up to $200 million is available to support the CWDG Program overall, which includes this program, the Western States and Territories program, the Southern States program, and the Indian Tribes/ANCs program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US17552, US17557, and US17559, respectively. Award amounts will vary according to project type, as follows:

  • Development and revising of a CWPP: awards of up to $250,000
  • Implementation of projects described in a CWPP that is less than ten years old: awards of up to $10 million

Projects must be completed within five years.

Funds may not be used for lands administered by the federal government, with the exception of lands held in trust for Native American tribes and individuals.

Contacts:

Program Staff
sm.fs.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov

Agency Address
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to program staff or to the appropriate state or territory contact listed on page 24 of the NOFA file.

Applications must be submitted online at cwdg.forestrygrants.org.

The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.

Files:
NOFA File: US17554_NOFA_FY2025.pdf (829.2 Kb)
Guide File: US17554_Guide_FY2025.pdf (913.8 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17554_Overview_FY2025.pdf (138.2 Kb)
Award File: US17554_Award_FY2025.pdf (716.4 Kb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Guide file contains detailed application instructions. The Overview file contains general program information, including information regarding optional webinars and office hours scheduled for this program. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients through the CWDG Program overall.

Grant Keywords
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Grant Categories
Disaster Preparedness
Human Services
Fire/EMS